


Online Friends

by C1oudStrife



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M, MMORPG theme, as in theyre playing an mmo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 15:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11603442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C1oudStrife/pseuds/C1oudStrife
Summary: A new MMO game has risen in popularity around the world. Sephiroth was usually not one to show interest in something with such a mass following, especially a video game, but seeing as how his friend Zack had gotten him a copy, he decides to at least give it a try.With absolutely no experience in the genre, he ends up finding help from a user named NibelWolf, who ends up a far more long-term friend.





	Online Friends

**Author's Note:**

> ...ok so this isnt really romantic save for some silly stuff near the end but i wrote it w sefikura in mind so it counts to me  >:'V
> 
> was actually supposed to be uploaded with Fright Night, and has the same story of being in the trash folder w it and bf asking me to finish it, just this one took longer considering. its much bigger than i meant for it to be lmao  
> im pretty proud of it though!! at first i was nervous and felt like it wouldnt work but im glad he convinced me to give this one a second chance.

Sephiroth was not a man who fawned over whatever new big things everyone got interested in. Quite frankly, he often didn't understand anything about them. He'd simply wait out the hype and eventually conversations would return to something he was actually capable of making a response to.

He was mildly surprised when Zack forced his way into Sephiroth's room and handed the silver-haired man a video game.

Sephiroth stared at the case. It was some PC game with a rather nonsensical title. “What is this?”

Zack grinned at him. “A gift. Everyone's been playing it, I thought you might wanna try it too. It's an MMO too so we can play together if you want, or you can try out making some new friends in it.” 

Sephiroth wasn't sure he wanted to mention to Zack that he had barely any idea what that meant, and decided on at least simply thanking the man for the game. Zack gave him a thumbs up and left.

\--

It was about a week before Sephiroth actually did anything with the game. He had noticed it on his table and decided to at least give it a try.

He loaded the game up and was met with a prompt requesting him to make a username. Remembering that Zack mentioned that there would be many other players to interact with, Sephiroth figured it would be better to go by something other than his name, and ended up deciding on the name OneWingedAngel.

Sephiroth found himself overwhelmed by the choices available in the character creator, and ended up letting a randomizer decide for him, with some minor edits. Feeling content with the small model staring back at him from his computer screen, he clicked on the button to start the game.

His character started in a very crowded town, with many other characters, most with much better armor and weapons than he seemed equipped with, bustling around him. The options and information flooding onto the screen disoriented Sephiroth, especially considering his lack of experience with pretty much any video game.

It was after a few moments of fiddling with menu screens that Sephiroth noticed someone talking to him in a small chat window in the corner.

NibelWolf: Yo, OWA, nice username. Welcome to the game.

OneWingedAngel: Thank you.

NibelWolf: Yeah, no problem! If you need any help with anything let me know!

Sephiroth stared at the message. He despised asking for help. A drawback of his rank and who he was, many people would find it laughable for someone like Sephiroth to ask for help on something, and it became a point of pride to figure everything out on his own.

However, he had to admit, he was completely lost on trying to figure out the game. He also reminded himself that the other player had no idea who he was. That was the entire point of making up his username, after all.

OneWingedAngel: Actually, if you do not mind, I could use some advice on getting started.

NibelWolf: Oh! Yeah, sure! Follow me!

NibelWolf's character ran around a bit to make sure Sephiroth could see him before running off. Sephiroth had mild trouble keeping up with him, mostly due to how many other characters were roaming around the area, but eventually NibelWolf stopped him in front of an armor shop in a quieter area of the town.

NibelWolf: Here, I'm sending you something. When you get it, open your equipment window and put it on.

A small box popped up on the screen asking for confirmation to receive items. Sephiroth clicked the option to agree to it, and a variety of pieces of armor appeared in his inventory. After some fiddling, he found the equipment screen, and put the armor on. He also took note that his character's looks changed as well, now wearing the armor he finished equipping.

NibelWolf: Awesome! Now you just need a weapon. What kind do you usually like?

Sephiroth reminded himself to think in context of the game before answering. It only caused him to realize he had no idea what that meant.

OneWingedAngel: Actually… I have never played any other games like this before. I'm afraid I do not know what options are available.

NibelWolf: Oh! Well, this game is pretty cool because it has a pretty big variety. Just off the top of my head I know there's broadswords, katanas, nunchucks, pistols, knives, and a bunch of other stuff I know I forgot. I think they even have some kind of gunblade too. Just pick whatever you think would be cool to try!

Sephiroth gave Masamune a quick glance. It would be a cheesy and obvious choice, yet he couldn't help himself. NibelWolf did ask him to choose a weapon he'd enjoy using, and Masamune was a treasured item.

OneWingedAngel: A katana sounds nice.

NibelWolf: Alright, awesome! Wait here.

NibelWolf ran off again, leaving Sephiroth's character waiting patiently next to the armor shop. Sephiroth decided on using the time to properly figure out all of the different menus of the game. By the time NibelWolf came back, he had a much better idea of what everything meant.

NibelWolf: Here you go! Try it out!

Another confirmation window appeared on the screen. This time, NibelWolf had sent Sephiroth a rather high level katana. He quickly equipped it.

OneWingedAngel: Thank you. You didn't have to give me all this.

NibelWolf: Hey, no problem! Just put it to good use.

OneWingedAngel: Of course.

NibelWolf: Actually, there's something else you can do for me too. 

Two more windows popped up. One was a friend request from NibelWolf, and the other was a request to join NibelWolf's guild. Sephiroth clicked yes on both.

NibelWolf: Thanks! Consider us even.

Sephiroth was mildly unsure how that could be considered even, but didn't want to complain. 

NibelWolf: Hey, I've still got some time. Do you mind if I tag along a while and help out with your quests?

Part of Sephiroth wanted to turn down the offer. NibelWolf already helped him more than would ever be necessary, and Sephiroth's distaste toward leaning on others burned in the back of his mind. At the same time, however, Sephiroth was enjoying the company of his new friend. Sticking with NibelWolf for a while longer didn't seem too bad.

OneWingedAngel: Feel free to.

NibelWolf: Awesome, thanks! We can grab some quests back in the main part of town.

NibelWolf dashed off toward the direction the two originally came from, stopping every so often to make sure Sephiroth was keeping up with him.

The duo collected as many quests as the game would allow them and left the town. Sephiroth was pleasantly surprised when he realized that there was a large world to explore beyond the crowded little area. It ended up extremely distracting, and Sephiroth was glad to find that NibelWolf was completely fine exploring with him. By the time NibelWolf had to log off, several hours had passed, leaving Sephiroth to realize he'd spent almost the entire day playing the game.

Sephiroth mentally scolded himself. As fun as the game turned out to be, he reminded himself that he still had a job to do as well. He would have to be more careful of the time in the future. In the meantime, he decided on getting off the computer and calling it a day.

When Sephiroth found time to play the game again, now being much more careful to balance work and leisure, NibelWolf was happily waiting for him.

NibelWolf: Hello again! Good to see you.

OneWingedAngel: Nice to see you again as well.

NibelWolf: Hey, by the way, I picked up a quest earlier that's in a pretty tough dungeon. Do you want to come along? I thought it would be pretty good for helping you level up. We can go back to working on your quests afterward too!

Sephiroth was surprised by the question. He and NibelWolf had only known each other for a day, and yet the near-stranger waited for him to see if he'd want to participate in a simple activity in a game. He couldn't help feeling a sense of joy that someone genuinely wanted to include him in something fun simply for the sake of thinking he would enjoy it too.

OneWingedAngel: Sounds like a good plan. I'd be happy to join you.

NibelWolf: Awesome! Follow me, then.

NibelWolf led Sephiroth over to a large, complex cave system. A behemoth roamed around just outside of the main entrance. A noticeably high level appeared over its head as the two got closer.

NibelWolf: I'd be careful not to let that get too close if I were you. They're pretty tough, even if you're at the right level to fight them. It can get really scary when a whole group of behemoths shows up. Thankfully they only spawn here at the entrance to keep new players from accidentally wandering in, so we should be fine.

Part of Sephiroth wanted to take on the behemoth after such a warning. The beasts were hardly a challenge in the real world, and he was sure he could handle one in a game as well. As he pondered the plan, another behemoth showed up, and Sephiroth noticed its level was even higher than the first's. He decided on taking NibelWolf's advice for now.

The two carefully worked their way around any monsters until NibelWolf informed Sephiroth that they were far enough into the cave to avoid the behemoths. The mission they were working on was much deeper in the dungeon, so the two chose to take their time battling and working on Sephiroth's levels and gear. By the time they finished the quest and returned to town, Sephiroth's character was much stronger than he was earlier. The duo worked on a few more of Sephiroth's quests before logging off for the day.

Sephiroth couldn't help but give a soft smile to his computer screen. He had hardly any idea who NibelWolf was, and the two barely knew each other for very long, but something in Sephiroth's heart told him he'd made a wonderful new friend.

As time went on, Sephiroth ended up working the game into his daily schedule. He also made sure to work it into times he knew NibelWolf would be online, and sure enough, the other player gladly waited for him every time. At some point, Zack had introduced Sephiroth to his own guild, but the silver-haired SOLDIER found himself enjoying playing the game with NibelWolf more.

Soon enough, their little team of two quickly rose in the ranks, and they easily took on any challenge the game and pvp players threw at them. It wasn't long after that people took notice of the duo, and word quickly spread among those who played the game about the small, elite guild that wouldn't even accept more members.

The anonymous fame filled Sephiroth with pride. He was used to being handed everything, and everyone just assuming him to be great at anything. Earning his strength felt comfortably fulfilling. On top of that, it was also much more appealing to be able to share victories with his mysterious friend.

Unfortunately, the joy slowly became short-lived, as Sephiroth began to notice that, over time, NibelWolf started meeting up with him less and less. Eventually, the other player simply stopped playing the game altogether, and the offline symbol constantly sat next to his username every time Sephiroth checked it.

The silver-haired SOLDIER had to admit, he found himself uncomfortably sad about NibelWolf's disappearance. He suddenly felt lonely in his free time, and found himself still playing the game and working on quests alone, hoping that his friend would someday return. Sephiroth felt silly, especially considering he still knew next to nothing about NibelWolf, but he just didn't know what else to do. Playing the game was just ingrained into his daily schedule by that point.

Surprisingly, as Sephiroth continued his odd routine, fate managed to work in his favor. As he logged in to do some of the usual simple quests, he found NibelWolf waiting for him in their usual meeting place, almost as if the odd hiatus had never happened.

NibelWolf: Hey! Long time no see! How are you?

OneWingedAngel: I am well. It is good to see you again.

NibelWolf: Yeah, sorry for not being on here much. I've been playing some other games lately. I figured maybe we'd meet again in one of them, but I guess not.

OneWingedAngel: Oh, I see. Unfortunately, I have not gotten many other games.

Truthfully, he hadn't gotten any other games at all. He still barely had a grasp on the concept of the genre considering his focus on the single game, and he wasn't quite sure he liked the idea of anyone finding out about his new interest.

NibelWolf: Oh! Well, I can link you the ones I've been playing if you want? They're pretty cool and actually even easier than this one to get used to.

OneWingedAngel: You are welcome to.

NibelWolf sent Sephiroth the names of a few games and what sites one could buy them from. The other player also mentioned that he couldn't stay online long enough to do much, and logged back off quickly after he finished sending the messages.

Sephiroth looked at the games NibelWolf mentioned, and decided on buying a few that looked interesting. He used the rest of his free time to play a bit of each, trying to get used to them on his own and get a good start. 

The two quickly got back into their habit of meeting up and doing quests as soon as the next day. It was a bit more awkward to find each other due to the many new games, but they managed well. The awkward lonely feeling Sephiroth had when NibelWolf left the old game had become just a memory.

After several months of comfortably playing the games together, NibelWolf surprised Sephiroth with a new topic.

NibelWolf: So, hey, I've been thinking, and I thought it would be cool if we met face to face sometime, but I kind of realized we know pretty much nothing about each other in that context. You probably aren't even anywhere near Nibelheim anyway, there's hardly anyone around that wasn't born right here in town.

Sephiroth stared at the message. He knew eventually the topic of who he was would be brought up, in some form, but some part of him had still hoped he could just continue anonymously enjoying video games with his equally unknown friend. He pondered over how to respond. 

After some careful thinking, Sephiroth decided it couldn't hurt to at least give some information. Midgar was the biggest city on the planet, it would be near impossible to immediately guess who was behind the screen. Besides, NibelWolf mentioned where he was from. Sephiroth attempted chuckling off his paranoia as he noticed that his friend's username was themed after the location he had named.

OneWingedAngel: I live in Midgar.

NibelWolf: Wow, yeah, that's really far away. Completely different continent.

The SOLDIER pondered over where Nibelheim was located. He knew the Nibel Mountains the town sat under were somewhere near Rocket Town on the Western Continent due to Zack attempting to give him a geology lesson on the location of Gongaga. However, Sephiroth hadn't been in the area much himself, and considered the mental map he built of it unreliable.

NibelWolf: I've actually been in Midgar before, believe it or not. I wanted to join SOLDIER a few years ago, but I was told I'd never make the cut because of health stuff or something. ShinRa shipped me back here to nowhere Nibelheim pretty soon afterward.

OneWingedAngel: That is a shame to hear. We would have loved to have you among us.

NibelWolf: Wait, are you in SOLDIER?

Sephiroth cursed himself. He hadn't meant to say that, or at least meant to not send it. The statement was propaganda he was used to spouting for ShinRa in the company's attempt to get more people to try signing up for the military, though he did somewhat mean it in this case. Well, it was too late to take it back. Continuing to only give a piece of the truth couldn't hurt, there were still plenty of other members of SOLDIER to keep from guessing his identity. Besides, some part of him wanted to trust NibelWolf.

OneWingedAngel: I am.

NibelWolf: Awesome, and congratulations! As you can imagine, I learned the hard way how difficult it is to get in. It's pretty cool that you made it, though!

OneWingedAngel: Thank you.

The silver-haired SOLDIER felt a bit awkward about being congratulated on something that had been simply gifted to him by fate, but he felt rude to just ignore the kind message. Correcting his friend would also probably be a bad choice, considering it would most certainly hint to who he was.

NibelWolf: So, this is probably silly, but if you're in SOLDIER, does that mean you've met Sephiroth? He was the reason I wanted to join, and to be honest, I kind of wanted to meet him while I was there in Midgar, but things didn't work out so well and apparently he's not the most social person in the world. He doesn't even like showing his face, from what I've heard. Actually, I think that kind of answers what I was asking, so forget my question.

Sephiroth's stomach churned in panic as he recognized his own name. NibelWolf continued talking about his hero, not even noticing the other man wasn't interrupting. 

Listening to others fawn over him made Sephiroth severely uncomfortable. ShinRa's propaganda had an unfortunate habit of ignoring Sephiroth's personality in favor of his physical strength and successes, and it didn't take long for his fans to follow suit. Reading NibelWolf's messages only reminded him of the problem. Under normal circumstances, Sephiroth would simply avoid the person who brought up the subject, but this was a much different situation. NibelWolf was his friend, and aside from the current topic, never really said anything to discomfort Sephiroth. Really, Sephiroth reminded himself, the other player didn't even know who he was talking to, and probably didn't mean anything he was saying in a bad or creepy way. The thought calmed him down a bit. 

NibelWolf: Sorry, kind of started rambling there a little bit. I told myself I was over the whole SOLDIER thing but I guess it's still sort of there.

OneWingedAngel: It's alright, it happens. Though, I need to get going now.

NibelWolf: Okay! See you later!

Sephiroth logged off and took a deep breath. He hoped he hadn't offended NibelWolf by leaving so quickly. He still wanted to be friends, but there was just no way he could continue talking at that moment after such a sore subject. He needed a moment to relax and get rid of the uncomfortable mood. Sephiroth decided a nice bath and a nap would be the perfect soothing solution.

When the two met up again after, they continued as if the awkward conversation had never happened. The memory lingered in the back of Sephiroth's mind, but he was happy simply avoiding it, and NibelWolf made no attempts to bring it back up again. Soon enough, it felt like the event never even happened.

However, Sephiroth soon noticed a new problem. After only a few days since the incident, NibelWolf began staying offline again. The SOLDIER told himself not to worry about it too much, even if he wanted to. NibelWolf hadn't meant to leave him in the dark last time, and probably didn't mean to currently either.

He was happy to find that, as if by fate, NibelWolf quickly realized what he was doing again, and had sent a message.

NibelWolf: Hey, sorry I started wandering off again! Though, I'm also kind of busy right now, which is why I haven't been on much, so you won't see me playing anything for a while. I probably should have warned you about that, but hey, better late than never.

OneWingedAngel: Oh, I see. That is unfortunate.

NibelWolf: Yeah, sorry!

OneWingedAngel: No, it's alright. It happens.

NibelWolf: If you want, maybe we can exchange phone numbers to keep in contact? If you have a phone, anyway.

Sephiroth did have a phone, it was a required item for anyone employed by ShinRa, but it was meant to be specifically used for work purposes. Granted, as far as the silver-haired SOLDIER was concerned, the rule was rarely ever enforced. A good majority of the company used theirs to contact personal friends and family. It couldn't hurt for Sephiroth to do the same. He sent NibelWolf his number, and received the other player's contact information in return. The two sent quick messages to each other to make sure everything worked before NibelWolf left for the day.

Despite missing being able to continue gaming with NibelWolf, Sephiroth was glad to be able to still talk to his friend. He easily shifted to spending his new free time, as well as spare moments he could find while working, happily staring at his phone and waiting for new messages.

The joy was short-lived, however, as only a few days later, NibelWolf stopped responding to Sephiroth's messages altogether. It was easy to guess that the SOLDIER's friend probably got too busy to chat at all, but Sephiroth still felt lonely and upset. He kept glancing at his phone any chance he got and even checked to see if NibelWolf had logged into any of the games they normally played in hopes of finding any kind of response. Unfortunately, he found nothing.

Sephiroth began getting jumpy whenever anyone sent him a text. Each time, he desperately hoped it was NibelWolf returning, only to get disappointed upon seeing that it was only a mission report or SOLDIER updates. His depression over the matter slowly caused him to barely read or respond to anything sent to his phone at all. Sephiroth's interaction with the upsetting device became a simple glance at any new messages first thing in the morning to make sure he hadn't missed anything important, and then not touching it at all for the rest of the day.

The silver-haired SOLDIER couldn't help but feel ridiculous for how childish he felt he was being over the matter, but was unable to stop the emotions either. At one point, he glanced at his calendar, trying to make sense of what NibelWolf could be so busy with and why he would just stop all communication for so long, only to sigh in frustration upon realizing that it had really only been barely even a week. The days felt more like months, and Sephiroth was hardly one for patience, especially when it came to wanting to talk to his long distance friend.

It was one morning, when his phone woke him with a loud beep signaling another new message, that Sephiroth ended up deciding he might be better off just getting rid of the thing for a while. He sat up and grabbed the small machine, gripping it harder than he probably should have as his frustration looked for something to explode out onto. He stared down at it. Considering he needed it for work, ShinRa would probably replace the phone should it break, even if he purposely shattered it. Throwing it at the wall seemed a pretty comforting idea at the moment. 

His grip on the item tightened as he began convincing himself into the idea. Pieces cracked under his fingers, causing the phone to flicker on with the newest message glaring from the screen. Sephiroth caught a quick glance at the name of the sender, and shock caused him to stop his train of thought and read the actual message. It was only one word, but it was enough. Who it was from was far more important.

NibelWolf: Surprise!

Sephiroth stared at the text, giving himself a minute to calm down. As he reread the word a few times, a thought finally registered with him. Surprise? About what? They hadn't spoken in what felt like forever. Was that the surprise?

OneWingedAngel: I'm… sorry?

NibelWolf: Oh! Right. It would probably help if I explained, haha. I'm here in Midgar!

OneWingedAngel: You are?

Sephiroth's heart beat heavy in his chest. NibelWolf was in Midgar? How long had he been travelling? Now that the SOLDIER thought about it, it probably would have taken a few days to come all the way from Nibelheim, and that didn't include however much time NibelWolf took to pack. Excitement to finally meet his friend in person banished the last of Sephiroth's foul mood.

NibelWolf: Yeah! Though, uh, I didn't think this through too well, actually. You said you live in Midgar but I realized I don't actually know where in Midgar. So… I decided to head over to ShinRa tower since you work in SOLDIER, but they aren't letting me in, either. Apparently you have to actually know the name of the person you're visiting to be allowed past the first floor. Think you could pick me up, maybe? I'm still here at the front desk.

OneWingedAngel: Of course. Wait there.

Sephiroth got up and began to head down toward where NibelWolf waited when a thought occurred to him. His friend still had no idea who he really was. Part of Sephiroth felt like he should be worried about that fact, but he shrugged the thought away. He trusted NibelWolf. They had plenty of time to actually build a friendship and get to know each other. One member of that friendship being Sephiroth shouldn't matter so much anymore. He took a calming deep breath as he continued toward ShinRa tower's bottom floor.

When he got there, it wasn't too hard to guess who NibelWolf was. A man with the spikiest blond hair Sephiroth had ever seen leaned up against the front counter with a luggage bag. The woman behind the desk seemed more than unamused about the blond's presence. Sephiroth figured he should probably intervene before she decided to call security.

As Sephiroth approached, the blond glanced over toward him. Sephiroth noticed him give a startled expression before the blond pulled out his phone and began typing something on it and turning away from the SOLDIER. Sephiroth's own phone vibrated in his pocket a moment later.

NibelWolf: Hey, friend, I know it might take you a bit to get here and all, but Sephiroth just showed up and I'd rather not accidentally make an embarrassment of myself in front of him, you know? So, uh, no rush, but if you could get here just a little faster that'd be really helpful.

Sephiroth chuckled at the message. At least that confirmed that the man at the counter was indeed NibelWolf. The blond quickly turned back around and stuffed his phone back in his pocket as Sephiroth approached him.

The SOLDIER looked toward the woman still seething behind the counter. “It's alright. He's with me.”

The woman made a frustrated face at Sephiroth's friend before returning to the paperwork in front of her. Meanwhile, the blond stared at Sephiroth with pure confusion. Sephiroth took out his phone and sent NibelWolf a quick, simple message.

The blond jumped as his own phone beeped afterward. He took it back out, glancing down at it. Sephiroth smiled as realization slowly dawned on the blond's face. 

“Y-You're…?”

“I am. It's nice to finally meet you in person.” Sephiroth began leading the blond toward the exit as he spoke, just in case the woman still behind the desk decided to start listening in on their conversation.

“I can't believe I've been playing video games with Sephiroth this whole time.” The blond's realization quickly switched to horror. “Oh gods and I rambled to you about all that stuff about you and-”

Sephiroth chuckled. “It's fine.”

The blond hung his head in shame. “Even still...”

“Really, it's fine.” The silver-haired SOLDIER stopped as they exited the building. “I at least know I can skip the introductions, seeing as how you already know who I am. Though, I still don't know your name yet.”

“Oh! I'm Cloud.” The blond held out his hand for a handshake. Sephiroth noticed he seemed to be rethinking the gesture, and grabbed it before Cloud could change his mind. Cloud's hand was tense with nervousness, but Sephiroth noticed his friend begin to relax as they finished their quick introduction. The SOLDIER was sure Cloud was beginning to think the same thing he had been: the man in front of him was still the same person as the friend he'd made behind a screen. 

Sephiroth smiled. “Well, Cloud, seeing as how I now have the day off and you're the guest, you're welcome to decide what we should do.”

“Me? I don't think I even know enough about Midgar to think of anything. I wasn't here very long, after all. You probably could think of better ideas.”

“I haven't explored much either. Perhaps we could wander the city and think as we go?”

“Sure! Though, uh...” Cloud glanced down at the bag he'd brought with him. “I don't really have a place to drop this off. I thought maybe I could stay with you when I got here, but I know that'd probably be pretty awkward now. We should probably stop by a hotel or something first...”

Sephiroth shook his head. “No, it's not a bother. I might need to look for space for another bed, but you're welcome to stay in my apartment.”

“Really? Thanks!”

“Of course.” Sephiroth took the bag from his friend. “I can go ahead and take this up there now for you. Wait here.”

“Alright.”

Sephiroth quickly walked back to his home and set Cloud's luggage on the couch. On his way back out, he also cleaned the room a bit, despite it being not that necessary. It caused him to take slightly more time than planned to return, but he was happy to find Cloud still patiently waiting for him. The blond gave a shy smile and waved as Sephiroth approached.

The SOLDIER smiled in return. “Anything else you need to take care of?”

Cloud shook his head. “Nope. Other than I'm still not over the fact that my best friend has apparently been Sephiroth this whole time.”

Something about Cloud using the words “best friend” caused Sephiroth's heart to burn in his chest with joy. He clung to the emotion, enjoying the feeling, as he smiled back at the blond. “Shall we head out then?”

Cloud nodded, and Sephiroth took hold of his hand as they started walking. The blond's face lit up noticeably red at the contact. He didn't object, though, so the two walked the city hand-in-hand.

It was a fairly simple trip around. The two window shopped more than anything, seeing as how Midgar didn't have many sights apart from mako reactors and skyscrapers. They did stop and get ice cream along the way, and as they ate, Sephiroth was happy to find that Cloud had worked out of his shyness gotten completely comfortable around the silver-haired SOLDIER. 

As they began to return to Sephiroth's home, Cloud stared up toward the green-tinged smog that layered over the city. Sephiroth looked up as well, curious about what had caught his friend's attention.

“Back in Nibelheim, you can see the sky pretty clearly. I never really thought too hard about it before, but standing here, it really sets in how different the big city is.”

“Really?” Sephiroth had never thought much about the sky before. He was used to how Midgar looked. He'd traveled outside the area a lot for work, sure, but he'd never really payed attention to his surroundings before. At least, not enough to look at details.

“Yeah! It's really nice at night. You can see the stars. It makes the world feel so big.”

“I see. I'll have to visit you sometime then, so you can show me.”

The blond looked at Sephiroth in shock. “Y-Yeah! I mean… it's a pretty boring little town but… it'd be awesome to hang out with you again!”

Sephiroth chuckled. “It's a date, then. Granted, we should probably finish your current trip before thinking about future ones.”

Cloud's face burned red as he agreed to the statement. He couldn't help but smile to himself at the concept of meeting with Sephiroth many more times. The blond hardly noticed as Sephiroth stopped and guided him toward one of the many tall buildings.

The two entered Sephiroth's apartment and, as they said their good nights, both found their minds happily wandering to what the future of their friendship would have in store.


End file.
